If living a more sustainable life is important to you, you don’t need to give up luxuries like electricity and indoor plumbing. There are many ways you can incorporate more environmentally-friendly and cost-cutting solutions with your indoor plumbing, whether it is for your home or office. These simple tips will help you save money as well as reduce the amount of unnecessary water being used on a daily basis.

The type of toilet you use at your work or business can make a huge impact on water waste. It can be so dramatic that the Alliance for Water Efficiency reports a potential waste of 30% or more just from flushing your toilet. To help reduce the amount of waste you should evaluate the use of a higher efficiency toilet model,” advises Dave Paulson. Newer model toilets not only conserve water but also do a better job of cleaning than older models often using less than a gallon of water at a time.

Your sink and faucet, whether in a residence or business, should also be thought about carefully when trying to be more sustainable. You will find that you use more than 15% of your daily water usage through your sink faucets, including the bathroom and kitchen faucet. This creates wasted water when you have a leaky faucet, or running more water than you need to. The simplest solution to your problem, aside from contacting a plumber to fix your leaky faucet, is to have an aerator installed. This will actually help you save a gallon of water every couple minutes; per faucet. Other tips include not leaving water running unless it is absolutely necessary.

Your home’s showers and tubs also have the potential for a large amount of wasted water; up to 20% in some cases. A lot of waste often occurs based on the shower head you’re currently using in combination with the elapsed time of a typical shower. Look for environmentally friendly shower heads that use a minimum of water. Also, avoid elaborate shower heads as these can waste large amount of water per use. Shower heads are typically very easy to install and can be performed without the need for a plumber.

Additional sustainable plumbing tips will also help you to save water helping you have a greener home or business, as well as saving money. When doing things such as brushing your teeth, wiping off kitchen counters, or washing vegetables, don’t leave the water running on a constant basis. You should also consider watering your lawn less frequently, especially during seasons where rain is plentiful in your neighborhood. If you’re expecting rain, turn off your sprinklers to save water.